Hospitality industry in metro Atlanta feeling demand of Hurricane Milton evacuees

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Hotels across Metro Atlanta and in other parts of Georgia are dealing with an influx of storm evacuees from both Hurricane Helene and from Hurricane Milton.

“Three rooms,” Datonya Creary told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington on Thursday.

Creary said she needed three hotel rooms for her extended family of 15. The family evacuated their homes in Tampa and headed North to Georgia.

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But, Creary said they ran into some issues.

“Some people were acting funny with us. Oh, we do not have any rooms,” said Creary.

“No rooms available and very, very far away,” family member Keyonn Nance explained.

The family finally found vacancies at a Courtyard by Marriott in South Fulton County.

“We were afraid that we weren’t going to have anywhere to stay here because so many people were trying to get here,” Datonya Creary said.

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“We certainly had a big surge in unanticipated guests,” Hospitality Director with Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business Debra Cannon said.

Cannon said hotels across metro Atlanta are dealing with hundreds of storm evacuees and all at once.

“They have emergency plans, disaster relief plans. I mean they have been through this before, snowstorms other hurricanes,” Cannon told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington.

Cannon also said most hotel managers have a plan for guest who may have to stay for days or in some cases, for weeks.

“They may look at other sources for those guests even within their company to relocate them to other properties perhaps,” Cannon explained.

“Luckily we made it here and were glad we were welcomed here,” Datonya Creary said.

Cannon said in an emergency, hotel and restaurant management will usually beef up staff and supplies to accommodate long-term evacuee stays.

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